Salt is Leaving by J. B. Priestley 

Dramatised for radio by Elizabeth Bradbury 

Dr Salt is determined to leave Birkden, but when a patient of his suffering from chronic nephritis suddenly disappears and the police seem unconcerned, he becomes equally determined to find her. 

His persistence soon makes him some very powerful enemies.
 

Dr Salt: Frederick Treves

Maggie Culworth: Patricia Gallimore

Alan Culworth: Alan Devereux

Buzzy: Ralph Lawton

Supt Hurst: Jack Holloway

Jill Frinton: Maggie McCarthy

Sir Arnold Donnington: William Fox

Erica Donnington: Elizabeth Revill

Mrs Pearson: Eileen Barry

Donald Dews: Howard Benbrook

Aricson: Paul Maxwell

RUSS: Paul Henry

Peggy Pearson: Liz Daniels

Mrs Duffy: Joyce Latham

Sgt Broadbent: Graham Weston

Sgt Driver: George Woolley

Corrigan: Lawrence Rew

Winston: Harvey Edwards

Producer Roger Pine

Saturday-Night Theatre

Sat 27th Sep 1975

20:30 on BBC Radio 4 FM

'[A] formidable exercise, distinguished by Priestley's undiminished gusto for storytelling.' - "New York Times Book Review"

'[A] most satisfactory suspense story. It has the advantage of being different and witty and full of the kind of observation that will delight many.' - "Best Sellers"

'[A] cosy, old-fashioned detective story.' - Francis Iles, "Guardian"

'[C]omfortably old-fashioned novels are hard to come by these days. Good old Priestley has written a good old book.' - "The Critic"

'[T]his is an enjoyable story, with plenty of moral social comment.' - "Times Literary Supplement"

'In "Salt is Leaving" Priestley offers the best of the detective genre. It is almost a classic yet it has a zip and freshness that sets it apart.' - "Victoria Advocate"

Dr Salt is leaving the dismal and depressing town of Birkden, and his departure can't come soon enough. Recently widowed and newly retired from the practice of medicine, Salt looks forward to starting a new life in a sunnier clime. But before he can go, he must solve the mystery of the disappearance of one of his patients, Noreen Wilks, a young woman in urgent need of a life-saving drug. Believing she's just a flighty young person who has run away, the police refuse to investigate, but Salt has reason to suspect foul play. Joining forces with Maggie Culworth, whose father has also inexplicably vanished, Salt must contend with powerful forces desperate to conceal the truth as he follows the clues towards a shocking and macabre conclusion.

The only detective story by the prolific playwright and novelist J. B. Priestley (1894-1984), "Salt is Leaving" (1966) was originally written for the author's own amusement but has gone on to be recognized as a classic of the mystery genre. This edition features a new introduction by Mark Mason.

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